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Slovakia

'The Euro Is a Guarantee of Stability'

Support for the EU in Slovakia is strong. The country recently joined the euro, which has helped to buffer it from the worst impact of the global economic and financial crisis. The situation is still difficult, but support for Europe is strong and euroskeptics are firmly in the margins of society.

Dusan Caplovic, 62, is Slovakia's deputy prime minister for European affairs.

In the run-up to the European elections, what issues are being debated in Slovakia? Are they national issues or European Union issues?

In Slovakia, much of the debate surrounds the Lisbon Treaty, which Slovakia has ratified, cooperation between European Union countries in the fight against the economic crisis, European cultural identity and energy supply security (Slovakia has in recent years been vulnerable to disruptions in Russian gas supplies and was also forced to close its controversial Bohunice nuclear reactor as a precondition for EU membership in 2004). This year, the European election campaign has an emphasis on the representation and promotion of Slovakian interest in the EU.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of interest by the media in the work of our representatives in the European Parliament and much of the EU debates here happen inside expert circles rather than the general public. The EU is still seen as something foreign and distant to ordinary people. This is understandable and it is the duty of the political elite to create interest among Slovaks for EU events.

A key issue in European politics is market ideology. Is there a debate in Slovakia about whether the market ideology of Brussels needs amendments or instead needs to be strengthened and defended?

This debate is persistent in Slovakia. Indeed, the 2006 national elections were based on a dialogue between the free market concept and the social-market economy idea. The Slovak constitution explicitly addresses the social and environmental aspects of the free market. Following the serious social-economic decline experienced here during the 1990s, most Slovaks want a strong social welfare state.

Another key issue in many countries is euroskepticism. Would you say that, in Slovakia, support for the EU has changed? Is there a populist protest against Brussels ?

Support of the EU has been high and stable, with approval ratings reaching as high as 60 to 80 percent. Slovakia belongs to the group of states which believe European integration should continue to deepen. There is virtually no tension between Slovak political parties on this issue. And no group in Slovakia is systematically fighting against the EU. The euroskeptics here are represented by several marginalized romantic nationalists and small US-oriented groups, who are unlikely to get more than 1 percent of the vote in the election.

How would voters in Slovakia like the EU to develop? Is there support for the Lisbon Treaty? Would they support a joint foreign policy? A more powerful European Central Bank? What are the limits for unification?

Various European studies show Slovakia has profited from its membership in the EU. Slovak citizens support both deepening EU integration and enlargement of the Union. Though there were some problems, Slovakia ratified the Lisbon Treaty last June.

The idea of strengthening the common foreign and defense policy or the position of the European Central Bank would face little resistance. We are a small state and we know that it is better to follow certain aims on the multinational level of the EU, as long as basic values like solidarity are followed.

Could you mention an anecdote that captures the atmosphere around the European elections in your country?

Our country became the 16th in Europe to introduce the euro in January. It's acceptance has been better than expected and it has neither caused inflation nor price increases. We see the euro as a guarantee of stability and certainty in the current financial and economic crisis. The citizens of Slovakia believe more than any other EU nation that the euro has provided a protective shield against the current crisis. One negative side effect, though, has been the devaluation of currencies in our neighboring countries in Eastern Europe. Slovakia is a small country and people here often like to travel to neighboring countries to do their shopping. With prices lower against the euro, this has created a difficult situation for the Slovakian retail sector.

Interview conducted by e-mail by Lucie Kavanová.